Latest news with #SeanCarroll
Days of Palestine
4 days ago
- Health
- Days of Palestine
Millions in Gaza Aid Stuck in Warehouses as Israel Blocks NGO Deliveries, Groups Warn
More than 100 humanitarian organisations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Save the Children, have accused Israel of deliberately blocking life-saving aid to the Gaza Strip, leaving millions of dollars' worth of food, medicine, water, and shelter materials stranded in warehouses across Jordan and Egypt. In a joint statement, the groups said Israel had rejected requests from 'dozens' of NGOs to deliver aid, claiming the organisations were 'not authorised to deliver aid' — despite many of them having operated in Gaza for decades. The restrictions, they said, are worsening an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis, where Israeli-imposed starvation has killed more than 200 Palestinians so far, half of them children. In July alone, Israel reportedly denied around 60 aid delivery requests. Sean Carroll, president and CEO of the US-based NGO Anera, said his organisation has over $7 million worth of supplies ready to enter Gaza — including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals — but it remains blocked just kilometres away at the Israeli port of Ashdod. New restrictions and data demands The statement attributes the obstruction to new rules imposed by Israel in March, requiring international NGOs to undergo a registration process that allows authorities to reject applicants based on broad and politically charged allegations such as 'delegitimising Israel.' Groups can also be barred if any staff member, partner, board member, or founder has expressed public support for the boycott of Israel in the past seven years. The process further requires NGOs to hand over sensitive details, including donor information and lists of Palestinian staff. Some organisations were given a seven-day ultimatum to comply, under threat of being banned from operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Humanitarian groups say these demands violate data protection laws and put Palestinian staff at risk. The statement highlighted that 88 percent of aid workers killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza since the war began were Palestinian. 'Our mandate is to save lives' Jolien Veldwijk, country director of Care, said her organisation has been barred from delivering $1.5 million worth of essential items — including food parcels, medical supplies, hygiene kits, and maternal care items — since Israel's total siege began on March 2. Oxfam's policy lead, Bushra Khalidi, reported $2.5 million worth of aid blocked from entering Gaza. The statement accuses Israel of seeking to 'block impartial aid, exclude Palestinian actors, and replace humanitarian organisations' with the militarised Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a body criticised for its lack of neutrality. 'At this point, everyone knows what the correct, humane answer is — and it's not a floating pier, airdrops, or the GHF,' said Carroll. 'The answer is to open all the borders, at all hours, to the thousands of trucks, millions of meals, and medical supplies ready and waiting nearby.' The NGOs urged governments and donors to challenge Israeli demands for sensitive personnel information, end what they called the 'weaponisation of aid,' and press for the immediate and unconditional reopening of all land crossings into Gaza. Since October 2023, Israel has imposed tight restrictions on aid entering Gaza, following Hamas's deadly attack inside Israel on October 7. The blockade — combined with large-scale military operations — has devastated Gaza's infrastructure, displaced the majority of its 2.3 million residents, and pushed the territory to the brink of famine. UN agencies warn that at least half a million people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of hunger, and that without the large-scale entry of aid by land, famine is inevitable. Land crossings remain the only viable way to deliver the volume of food and supplies needed to avert mass starvation, as air and sea routes can handle only a fraction of the demand. Shortlink for this post:
Middle East Eye
5 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel threatens to ban major aid organisations, as starvation in Gaza deepens
Most major international non-profit organisations have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March, despite claims by Israeli authorities that there is no limit on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, a joint press release from more than 100 NGOs said on Thursday. Israeli authorities are said to have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are 'not authorized to deliver aid", instead of clearing the increasing backlog of goods. The statement said that more than 60 requests were denied under this justification in July alone, and the obstruction has left millions of dollars' worth of food, medicine, water, and shelter items stranded in warehouses across Jordan and Egypt, while Palestinians are being starved. 'Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza - including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away,' said Sean Carroll, president and CEO of Anera. Many of the NGOs that are now told they are not 'authorized' to deliver aid have worked in Gaza for decades, are trusted by communities, and are experienced in delivering aid safely. Their exclusion has left hospitals without basic supplies, children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses, and aid workers themselves going to work hungry.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Foreign NGOs say new Israeli rules keep them from delivering Gaza aid
JERUSALEM: New Israeli legislation regulating foreign aid groups has been increasingly used to deny their requests to bring supplies into Gaza, a joint letter signed by more than 100 groups said Thursday. Ties between foreign-backed aid groups and the Israeli government have long been beset by tensions, with officials often complaining the organisations are biased. The rocky relations have become even more strained since Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. "Israeli authorities have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are 'not authorised to deliver aid'," the aid groups said. According to the letter, whose signatories include Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), at least 60 requests to bring aid into Gaza were rejected in July alone. UK-based Oxfam said that $2.5 million worth of its supplies, including food, were barred from entering Gaza, while another charity, CARE, said it had not been authorised to bring in aid since March. Another signatory, Anera, said it had millions of dollars' worth of supplies waiting just outside Gaza, in the Israeli port city of Ashdod. 'Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza – including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometres away," CEO Sean Carroll said in the joint letter. In March, the Israeli government approved a new set of rules for foreign non-governmental organisations working with Palestinians. The law updates the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked. Registration can be refused if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or "promotes delegitimisation campaigns" against the country. "Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity," said Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, whose ministry has been put in charge of NGO registrations. "Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate," he added.
Middle East Eye
5 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
'Millions of dollars' of Gaza aid stranded in warehouses as Israel rejects NGO requests for entry
The Israeli authorities have rejected requests from "dozens" of NGOs for life-saving aid to enter the Gaza Strip, leaving "millions of dollars'' worth of goods stranded in warehouses, over 100 organisations have reported. A statement signed by NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Save the Children, reported that Israel had denied the requests on the grounds that the organisations were "not authorised to deliver aid", despite many of them having worked in Gaza for decades. Consequently, millions of dollars worth of food, medicine, water and shelter equipment is currently languishing in warehouses across Jordan and Egypt, while Israeli-imposed starvation grips Gaza - killing over 200 Palestinians so far, half of them children. In July alone, the authorities refused some 60 requests for aid deliveries, according to the statement. Sean Carroll, president and CEO of the NGO Anera, said the organisation "has over "$7m worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza – including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometres away". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The organisations said the obstruction stems from new INGO registration rules introduced by Israel in March, which stipulate that applicants can be rejected on the basis of arbitrary and politicised allegations such as "delegitimising Israel". Under the provisions, organisations can also be rejected on the basis that their staff, a partner, board member or founder showed public support for the boycott of Israel in the past seven years. Registration also requires NGOs to disclose sensitive details about their personnel, including private donors and lists of Palestinian staff, with some issued a seven-day ultimatum to provide this information. If they fail to submit this data, organisations could be barred from operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The statement emphasised that the "sharing such data is unlawful (including under relevant data protection laws), unsafe, and incompatible with humanitarian principles". They added that NGOs have no guarantees that handing over this information will not put their staff at further risk, given 88 percent of humanitarian workers killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza were Palestinian. 'Our mandate is to save lives' Jolien Veldwijk, the country director of Care, said that the organisation had been barred from delivering $1.5m worth of aid to Gaza since Israel imposed its total siege on the territory on 2 March. "This includes critical shipments of food parcels, medical supplies, hygiene kits, dignity kits, and maternal and infant care items," Velwijk said. 'He was ashamed to go there': Wife mourns killing of 'Palestinian Pele' at Gaza aid site Read More » "Our mandate is to save lives, but due to the registration restrictions civilians are being left without the food, medicine, and protection they urgently need". Meanwhile, Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam's policy lead, reported that Israel had blocked the entry of $2.5m worth of goods gathered by the organisation into Gaza. The statement said that the restrictions form part of a broader strategy by Israel, which aims to "block impartial aid, exclude Palestinian actors, and replace humanitarian organisations" with the militarised aid distribution scheme run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). 'At this point, everyone knows what the correct, humane answer is, and it's not a floating pier, airdrops or the 'GHF'", Anera's Carroll said. "The answer, to save lives, save humanity and save yourselves from complicity in engineered mass starvation, is to open all the borders, at all hours, to the thousands of trucks, millions of meals and medical supplies, ready and waiting nearby," he added. The statement called on all states and donors to "end the weaponisation of aid", challenge Israeli requirements that NGOs share sensitive personnel information and demand "the immediate and unconditional opening of all land crossings and conditions for the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid".
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Foreign NGOs Say New Israeli Rules Keep Them From Delivering Gaza Aid
New Israeli legislation regulating foreign aid groups has been increasingly used to deny their requests to bring supplies into Gaza, a joint letter signed by more than 100 groups said Thursday. Ties between foreign-backed aid groups and the Israeli government have long been beset by tensions, with officials often complaining the organisations are biased. The rocky relations have become even more strained since Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. "Israeli authorities have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in lifesaving goods, citing that these organisations are 'not authorised to deliver aid'," the aid groups said. According to the letter, whose signatories include Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), at least 60 requests to bring aid into Gaza were rejected in July alone. UK-based Oxfam said that $2.5 million worth of its supplies, including food, were barred from entering Gaza, while another charity, CARE, said it had not been authorised to bring in aid since March. Another signatory, Anera, said it had millions of dollars' worth of supplies waiting just outside Gaza, in the Israeli port city of Ashdod. "Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza - including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometres away," CEO Sean Carroll said in the joint letter. In March, the Israeli government approved a new set of rules for foreign non-governmental organisations working with Palestinians. The law updates the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked. Registration can be refused if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or "promotes delegitimisation campaigns" against the country. "Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity," said Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, whose ministry has been put in charge of NGO registrations. "Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate," he added. The aid groups complained the new rules were leaving Gazans without life-saving assistance. "Today, international NGOs' fears have proven true: the registration system is now being used to further block aid and deny food and medicine in the midst of the worst-case scenario of famine", their joint letter concluded. "Our mandate is to save lives but due to the registration restrictions, civilians are being left without the food, medicine and protection they urgently need," said Jolien Veldwijk, Palestinian territories director for CARE. Israel has long accused Hamas of diverting aid entering the territory under the longstanding UN-led distribution system. Since May, it has distributed aid through the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organisation that is boycotted by the United Nations and other aid groups for serving Israeli military objectives. According to Gaza's civil defence agency, the GHF's operations have been frequently marred by chaos as thousands of Gazans have scrambled daily to approach its hubs, where some have been shot, including by Israeli soldiers. In late July, the United Nations reported that at least 1,373 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza since May 27 while awaiting or searching for aid. International NGOs now fear they could be barred from operating in Israel and the Palestinian territories altogether if they do not submit sensitive information about their Palestinian staff to the Israeli government. The deadline for information submission is in September, at which point "many could be forced to halt operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, and remove all international staff within 60 days." Long lines of aid trucks wait on the Egyptian side of the Gaza border for Israeli permission to enter the Palestinian territory. AFP
